Lindsay Simmons

"When Lindsay was 8 years old, she came down with a common sinus infection that refused to go away with antibiotics. After an X-ray, her doctor determined she had a bad case of pneumonia. A month after the original diagnosis Lindsay was feeling better, and with a CT scan to confirm the pneumonia was gone, the doctor noticed a mass that remained in her lungs. Immediately, the Simmons family was instructed to travel to Children’s. Once at Children’s, Lindsay had a blood test, MRI, and a bone marrow aspiration. When the results came back, the family was shocked. On August 10th, 2007, Lindsay was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The following Monday, Lindsay began her first treatment of chemotherapy.

“Two years went by and Lindsay had completed the standard chemotherapy treatments. Lindsay was back to being a kid! After returning to the life they knew before Lindsay had cancer, the family received the news – her cancer had returned. This time, the best treatment for Lindsay was a bone marrow transplant. Lindsay’s sister, a perfect bone marrow match, would be her donor.

“100 days later, Lindsay experienced her second relapse. Lindsay’s third fight with cancer was extremely taxing, as a severe fungal infection nearly took her life. Yet Lindsay refused to give up. She miraculously overcame the infection and was able to receive another successful bone marrow transplant. Six months passed and Lindsay was improving. Her next big hurdle is one all teenagers face – preparing for high school! Right before the start of her freshman year, she was diagnosed yet again with cancer. She lost sight in her right eye, where the relapse occurred, but giving up was not an option. She started chemotherapy again, and her leukemia decreased every month until her cancer appeared gone. But Lindsay’s fight still wasn’t over.

“A routine MRI showed that the cancer has spread to her kidneys. Today, Lindsay is part of a clinical trial using her own T-cells to fight her cancer. Her chemotherapy continues to help, but the Simmons family will travel to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in November for the modified T-cells to be infused in her body. Lindsay continues her chemotherapy every day in Atlanta, in order to maintain the cancer. As they wait, Lindsay and her family continue to fight this battle against cancer and overcome the adversity that comes their way."